Refrigerator car



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REFRIGERATOR CAR Filed Feb. 17, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet, l

Oct. 10, 1933.

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Patented Oct. 10, 1933 PATENT l olf-'Fiona'.

UNITED STATES viarzrnrcanm'ron CAR Charles 0. CornwelLLos Angeles, Calif. Application February 17, 1932. serial No. 593,492

5 Claims.

My invention relates to a refrigerator car.

In the past few years the railroads have increased their motive power, the weight of the rails, the roadbed, bridges, and all types of equipment, with the single exception of refrigeratoris a trifle over thirty-three feet. To increase the length of the refrigerator car of the type now in use would place the ice and heating devices too far away from the center of the load to be eiective. The hauling of light tonnage in heavy cars is an economic waste and the general practice of increasing capacity of other cars is strong evidence that the railroads realize that the hauling of non-paying tare weight is economically unsound.

The present invention has for its object a new construction of a refrigerator car, which may be of any capacity by increasing the length of the same without in the least decreasing the effectiveness of the heating and cooling devices. On the contrary the present invention provides a refrigerator car which is more efficient in its cooling and heating .in that the load in the car will never be more than about seven feet from the refrigerating and heating devices.

In particular the improved refrigerator car has two bunkers, one on one side of the car running from the end of the car to the doorway, the other bunker on the opposite side of the car running from the doorway to the other end of the car. The bunkers are thus placed in staggered relation to each other and symmetrically disposed in the car, thus providing balanced weight and maintaining proper equilibrium of the car.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed. Y

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the specification, I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention and, in which:

Fig. 1 is a verticallongitudinal section taken on line 1-1 of Figure 2.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section taken on line 4--4 of Figure 1.

1 indicates the refrigerator car as a unit which. is of conventional construction having end walls 2 and 3 and side walls 4 and 5. The doorway 6v is placed in the middle of the car. Spaced from the outer side and end walls is an interior wall 'I forming an insulating space which is lled with a suitable heat insulating material 8. End walls 9 at the doorway 6 conne the insulating space between the outer Walls of the car andf'the inner Wall '7. The ice bunkers are arranged on opposite sides and extend from the ends of the car to the doorway, there being an ice bunker 10 extending from the end 2 to the doorway 6 adjacent the side 4 of the car and another ice bunker 11 of the same size and shape as ice bunker 10 extending from the end 3 adjacent the side 5 to the doorway 6 of the car. The ice bunkers 10 and 11 are narrow longitudinal boxes extending upwardly from the iioor of the car to the roof 12 and each is provided with a foraminous floor 13 and an inner foraminous side wall 14 while the outer side wall 15 and the end wall 16 may either be separate walls or may be`iorme'd bythe inner wall '7 connin'g the insulating space. The side walls 14 and 15 are preferably made of metal plate in order to withstand the wear of the servicing of ice through the hatches 17 on the roof 12 which are shown to be three in number. The end Wall of each ice bunker adjacent the doorway 6 is providedwith adoor 18 to facilitate the removal of any ice that may be left in the bunkers at the end of the trip or to place` in the bunkers heating devices where it is necessary to maintain any certain temperature above the freezing point of fruit and the like.

I also provide improved means for a free circulation of air by an improved floor construction so that the cold air fiowing downwardly adjacent the ice bunkers will pass underneath the floor, then upwardly therethrough so as to circulate freely between the containers of the fruit or vegetables and other goods shipped therein. The bottom of the car 19 is spaced from the floor 20 thus providing an insulating chamber 21 lled with insulating material 8 which is in communication with the insulating space provided by the sides and ends of the car and the insulating wall 7. On the oor 20 is a series of spaced sills or stringers 22 which support the floor boards 23 resting thereon. The floor boards 23 are spaced from each other so as to provide Ventilating openings 24. The inside walls 14 of the bunkers are provided with perforations 14. A Ventilating wall 25 adjacent to the wall 14 but slightly spaced therefrom is provided, said wall 25 being foraminous to provide circulation of air and preferably builtl of horizontal slats 26. Against the inner side of the wall 25 a screen 27 is secured. The walls 14 and 25 form an air chamber 28 which at the bottom is in communication with the air chamber 29 formed by the floor 20 and the oor boards 23 and the forarninous bottom 13 of the bunker. Conventional traps 30 are provided for each bunker to remove the water from the melting ice.

Operation- The bunkers 10 and llare filled with ice I through the hatches 17. Air from the interior of the car will pass through the screen 27 through the air chamber 28 and through the perforations 14 into the ice bunker and will flow, on cooling, downwardly through the foraminous bottom 13 of the bunker into the air chamber 29 then upwardly through the Ventilating openings 24 formed by the spaced oor boards 23 and upwardly through and around about the boxes E, then upwardly toward the ceiling of the car and thence again through the ice bunker, repeating the circulation. In winter time the bunkers are used for heating chambers. Charcoal burners and the. like may be placed in the bunkers, access being gained through doors 18, to keep the goods from freezing. The circulation of the air will be in the opposite direction from that when the bunkers are filled with ice, as will be understood.

In the ordinary standard refrigerator car the center of the load is about sixteen and one-half feet from the ice or the heaters and the circulation of air is lengthwise of the car While in the present construction the ice and heating devices are never more than about seven feet away from the load. The average distance is only about three and one-half feet. The circulation is crosswise and, therefore, much more rapid and accomplishes more eiiicient and uniform refrigeration and heating. The same is true of ventilation since practically the whole of each side of the car is open, permitting the ingress of a much greater volume of air. A fty foot car made in accordance with the present invention and loaded in the same manner as the standard refrigerator car and loaded no higher in the car will handle about thirty percent more freight as eiiiciently as the present car handles its present load. Considering the long distances refrigerator cars usually travel, the great saving effected by the greatly reduced haulage of equipment, switching and the like, is obvious.

Various changes may be made by those skilled in the art in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of my invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. A refrigerator car having a pair of ice bunkers arranged laterally on opposite sides and extending from opposite ends, said car having a foraminous oor, and a circulating air chamber extending below said floor and said bunkers.

2. A refrigerator car having a pair of ice bunkers arranged laterally on opposite sides and extending from opposite ends, said car having a foraminous oor, and a circulating air chamber ex tending below said floor and said bunkers, each bunker being provided with a door at its inner end.

3. In a refrigerator car, the combination of car walls, ceiling and floor, with an ice bunker located adjacent one of the side walls of the car and parallel to said side Wall, said ice bunker extending from one end of the car to a point adjacent a centrally located car door, said ice bunker having Ventilating openings at its top and bottom, an

ice grating in the ice bunker, and transversely extending air conduits located on the floor of the car and communicating withthe interior of the car whereby every part of the car is located within a path of circulation not greater than the width of the car and the air is circulated downward to the ice bunl-r and upward through the car leaving and returning to the ice bunker transversely of the car.

4. In a refrigerator car, the combination of car walls, ceiling and floor, with an ice bunker located adjacent one of the side walls of the car and parallel to said side wall, said'ice bunker extending from one end of the car to a point adjacent the middle of the car, said ice bunker having ventilating openings at vits top and bottom, an ice grating in said ice bunker, transversely extending air conduits located on the floor of the car and communicating with the interior of the car whereby every part of the car is located within a path of circulation not greater than the width of the car and the air is circulated downward to the ice bunker and upward through the car leaving and returning to the ice bunker transversely of the car.

5. In a refrigerator car, the combination of car walls, ceiling and floor, with an ice bunker located adjacent one of the side walls of the car and parallel to said side wall, said ice bunker extending from one end of the car to a point adjacent the middle of the car, said ice bunker having ventilating openings at its top and bottom, an ice grating in said ice bunker, transversely extending air conduits located on the oor of the car and communicating with the interior of the car whereby every part of the car is located within a path of circulation not greater than the width of the car and the air is circulated downward'to the ice bunker and upward through the car leaving and returning to the ice bunker transversely of the car, and a drainage chamber beneath said ice grating.

CHARLES O. CORNWELL. 

